Survival after reoperation for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme: A prospective study

PurposeGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor. Moreover, GBM recurs in nearly all patients. Although a standard STUPP protocol has been widely used for newly diagnosed GBM, no standard regimen has been established for recurrent patients. Here we evaluated the clinical value of recurrent GBM reoperation by comparing overall survival and quality of life (QoL) in patients with recurrent GBM undergoing repeat surgery or conservative treatment.MethodsThis was a prospective study of 165 patients with GBM receiving first operations for their disease between 2011 and 2013 at two tertiary neurosurgery centers in Poland. Thirty-five eligible patients were re-operated for recurrence (the study group), and 35 patients were selected as the control group using propensity score matching. A model was created to determine advantageous prognostic factors for longer survival of patients qualifying for reoperation using stepwise linear regression.ResultsThe mean overall survival of patients undergoing repeat surgery was 528 days compared to 297 days in patients who did not undergo repeat surgery. Reoperation did not result in a significant deterioration in performance status as measured by the Karnofsky Performance Scale. Older age, the presence of symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, and a shorter period between initial operation and reoperation were independent predictors of a worse outcome.ConclusionIn selected patients, reoperation for recurrent GBM prolongs survival with no significant deteriorations in performance status.     

Angiographic profile and outcomes in persistent non-valvular atrial fibrillation: A study from tertiary care center in North India

BackgroundThe relationship of atrial fibrillation (AF) with coronary artery disease (CAD) is well established, yet it is often missed. There is evidence of myocardial ischemia on stress imaging in AF patients in the absence of obstructive CAD. In this prospective cohort, we studied the angiographic profiles of non-valvular AF patients.MethodsThe study was a nonrandomized, prospective, single-center observational study of consecutive patients of persistent non-valvular AF. Patients symptomatic for AF despite optimal medical therapy for 3 months were recruited and all underwent coronary angiograms (CAG). Patients with prior history of CAD were excluded.ResultsA total of 70 patients were followed for a mean duration of 12 ± 1.4 months. The mean age of the study group was 66.07 (±11.49) years. Hypertension was the commonest comorbidity seen in 74% patients. Obstructive CAD was present in 32 (46%) patients, non-obstructive (<50% stenosis) CAD in 17 (24%) patients and normal coronaries in 21 (30%) patients. Overall 49 (70%) patients had evidence of CAD. Amongst patients without obstructive CAD, slow flow was seen in 16 (42%) patients. Lower baseline ejection fraction, lower haemoglobin & albumin levels and higher creatinine levels was associated with increased mortality. In patients without obstructive CAD, hospitalizations for fast ventricular rate were significantly increased in those having slow flow on CAG (p = 0.005).ConclusionsMajority (70%) of our patients had evidence of atherosclerotic CAD on CAG. A large proportion of patients without obstructive CAD had slow flow on CAG.     

Brachytherapy: An emblematic example of extreme hypofractionated regimen

In order to provide more convenient irradiation regimens for patient comfort, radiation facility organization and health expenses, new hypofractionated protocols have been evaluated. Moderately (dose/fraction: 2.3 to 3 Gy), then ultra (dose/fraction: 5.2 to 6.1 Gy) hypofractionated irradiations were first validated. The current question is: is it possible to go forward using extreme hypofractionated regimens (EHR) based on 1 to 3 fractions. Different irradiation techniques are under investigation. However, brachytherapy remains the smartest way to deliver a high dose in a small volume. We report prospective and retrospective study results which evaluated EHR for breast and prostate brachytherapy. While oncological outcome and toxicity profile appear extremely encouraging for low-risk breast cancer after a 1 to 4 fractions (6.25 to 20 Gy/fraction), the use of a single fraction of 19 to 23 Gy appears debatable for prostate cancer. Brachytherapy represents an emblematic example of EHR but longer follow-up and more mature results are awaited in order to specify the right indications and refine the EQD2 calculation method including new biological and technical factors.     

腰椎旁神经阻滞联合全凭静脉全身麻醉对髋关节置换术患者血流动力学、应激反应、术后苏醒的影响

目的观察腰椎旁神经阻滞联合全凭静脉全身麻醉对髋关节置换术患者血流动力学、应激反应、术后苏醒的影响。方法选取2018年1月—2019年8月我院收治的行髋关节置换术患者115例,根据手术麻醉方法的不同分为观察组60例和对照组55例,观察组予腰椎旁神经阻滞联合全凭静脉全身麻醉,对照组仅予全凭静脉全身麻醉。比较两组麻醉前(T0)、麻醉后10 min(T1)、麻醉后30 min(T2)、术毕(T3)时平均动脉压、心率、去甲肾上腺素及肾上腺素水平变化,术后清醒镇静效果和苏醒时间,以及两组手术期间不良反应发生情况。结果观察组T1、T2、T3时平均动脉压、心率与T0时比较虽略有升高,但差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);对照组T1、T2、T3时平均动脉压、心率与T0时比较均升高,且以T2时平均动脉压、心率最高,T3时又回落至T1时水平,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。T1、T2、T3时观察组平均动脉压、心率均低于对照组(P<0.05)。T1、T2、T3时两组去甲肾上腺素、肾上腺素均较T0时升高,且观察组相同时间点去甲肾上腺素、肾上腺素水平低于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05或P<0.01)。观察组术后唤醒时警觉/镇静评分低于对照组,苏醒时间明显短于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。两组手术期间总不良反应发生率比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论腰椎旁神经阻滞联合全凭静脉全身麻醉用于髋关节置换术可有效防止患者血流动力学指标的波动,减轻手术应激反应程度,术后苏醒快,术后苏醒质量佳,且未增加手术期间不良反应的发生。     

血流向量成像技术在心脏瓣膜病中的研究进展

心脏瓣膜病是较常见的心脏病,随着病情进展可导致心脏血流动力学发生显著变化,血流向量成像技术(VFM)既可用于观察心腔内血流流场的变化,又可用于评估心脏局部和整体功能的改变。本文就VFM技术对于心脏瓣膜疾病的研究进展做一综述。     

Influence of coronary stenosis location on diagnostic performance of machine learning-based fractional flow reserve from CT angiography

BackgroundCompared with invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR), coronary CT angiography (cCTA) is limited in detecting hemodynamically relevant lesions. cCTA-based FFR (CT-FFR) is an approach to overcome this insufficiency by use of computational fluid dynamics. Applying recent innovations in computer science, a machine learning (ML) method for CT-FFR derivation was introduced and showed improved diagnostic performance compared to cCTA alone. We sought to investigate the influence of stenosis location in the coronary artery system on the performance of ML-CT-FFR in a large, multicenter cohort.MethodsThree hundred and thirty patients (75.2% male, median age 63 years) with 502 coronary artery stenoses were included in this substudy of the MACHINE (Machine Learning Based CT Angiography Derived FFR: A Multi-Center Registry) registry. Correlation of ML-CT-FFR with the invasive reference standard FFR was assessed and pooled diagnostic performance of ML-CT-FFR and cCTA was determined separately for the following stenosis locations: RCA, LAD, LCX, proximal, middle, and distal vessel segments.ResultsML-CT-FFR correlated well with invasive FFR across the different stenosis locations. Per-lesion analysis revealed improved diagnostic accuracy of ML-CT-FFR compared with conventional cCTA for stenoses in the RCA (71.8% [95% confidence interval, 63.0%–79.5%] vs. 54.8% [45.7%–63.8%]), LAD (79.3 [73.9–84.0] vs. 59.6 [53.5–65.6]), LCX (84.1 [76.0–90.3] vs. 63.7 [54.1–72.6]), proximal (81.5 [74.6–87.1] vs. 63.8 [55.9–71.2]), middle (81.2 [75.7–85.9] vs. 59.4 [53.0–65.6]) and distal stenosis location (67.4 [57.0–76.6] vs. 51.6 [41.1–62.0]).ConclusionIn a multicenter cohort with high disease prevalence, ML-CT-FFR offered improved diagnostic performance over cCTA for detecting hemodynamically relevant stenoses regardless of their location.